Eat-Sleep-Love | Maryland DC & Virginia Sleep Coach, Baby Planner, Maternity & Child Consultant

Maternity & Parenting Center

4 month checkup

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Monday was our 4 month checkup – and Micah did really well! He weighed in at a whopping 12 lbs 15 ounces, and he is 24 1/4 inches long. The doctor thought he was really strong and doing perfectly! He had his vaccinations (2 shots and an oral vaccine). He cried (but not as loudly as last time – this nurse was a bit more gentle administering the shot). I nursed him after the shot, and we came home. He napped on and off all afternoon, and we had one screaming session for about 2 hours, and then he slept from 5 until 9. I nursed him again, and he was happy and smiley again. We finally put him down for the night around 10 or 10:30, and he slept through until 8:00 this morning.

We talked to the doctor about the fact that Micah has been stuffy all week, and he was not concerned. We also discussed Micah’s reflux, and he increased the Zantac dosage, so hopefully that will help our little Micah feel better. We also discussed starting solid foods, and he said we can start him on cereal at any time! He suggests if we start early that we go slow – just work on cereal only for a while (at least a month) before introducing any other foods. I think in the next few weeks, we will try cereal. I’d like to work in one cereal feeding a day – I think it will help him get all the calories he needs during the day.

Beltain Brunch

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Friends of ours host a black-tie brunch every year that they call the Beltain Brunch. This past Sunday was the day! Elliot and I got ourselves all decked out (okay, we didn’t *quite* do the full black-tie) and we had an adorable outfit for Micah, courtesy of hand-me-downs from our friends Jen and Dave. We thought we’d share these photos, too!











I have a problem

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Okay, I admit it – my name is Jessica, and I go to baby stores and buy too many cute things for Micah. I just can’t go to a baby store and come out empty-handed. On Saturday, I decided to go to Buy Buy Baby to purchase a few needed items. I went in intending to buy an activity center, a teething ring, a toy with buttons, and *possibly* some kind of a toy for the car seat. I was armed with 20% off coupons, and I intended to behave.

What I bought was this:

  • Exersaucer (Evenflo fold and travel)
  • Little tikes 5-in-1 adjustable gym
  • snap on musical mobile for the car seat
  • a standing mirror toy for the stroller
  • a bathing suit with a matching hat
  • a 2nd bathing suit with a matching shirt (he’ll need more than 1, right?)
  • a third bathing suit with a matching hat (he is growing, you know, and I needed to get the next bigger size, too!)
  • a pair of sunglasses
  • a pair of swim shoes (they look like crocs)
  • a set of spoons (we might be starting food soon!)
  • a travel case and a set of travel spoons
  • a bowl for rice cereal
  • a teething ring
  • a 2nd teething ring (they were so cute, I couldn’t decide between them . . . besides, shouldn’t there always be a spare one in the freezer?)
  • a pair of robeez shoes
  • a 2nd pair of robeez shoes . . . too darn cute!

I think that completes my confession. We may have to return the robeez and a bathing suit . . . but I think I sold Elliot on all the other items!

4 month Photos

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On Friday, we returned to the picture people for Micah’s 4 month photos. The photographer asked if he could enter picture #1 in a contest and post it at the store:




You know you have become a mom when . . . .

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I’ve started to notice that I’ve become a total “mom” – doing all those things I swore I would never do. In honor of that fact, I thought I’d write this post – please feel free to add your own!

You know you have become a mom when . . . .

  • you see a booger up your child’s nose, and don’t think twice about picking it.
  • your child sneezes and you use your hands . . . or shirt . . . or anything else you can easily grab to start wiping all the mucous away.
  • you see schmutz on your child’s face, and you automatically lick your finger to wipe it off (please note – I ALWAYS wash my hands in between wiping away the snot and licking my finger to wipe away the schmutz).
  • you think it is acceptable to pick up your child to sniff his/her tush to determine if the diaper has poop in it.
  • you can just pick up your child and know he/she needs a diaper change because of the increased weight.
  • you feel the need to talk to your child about the stinkiness of the poop in his/her diaper . . . even though your child does not yet understand you.
  • you don’t really care whether you have recently showered . . . or put on makeup . . . or put on an outfit that isn’t elastic and loose.
  • you have to choose between showering and eating.
  • you are proud of yourself for only accomplishing one thing all day.
  • you spend most of your days discussing poop . . . and possibly breastfeeding, pumping, or bottles.
  • you know exactly how many outfits your child has worn (and pooped through) in a given day.
  • you rate your day based upon the number of poop explosions you have had to face.
  • people ask how you are doing and you launch into a monologue about how your little one is growing/developing/sleeping/eating/pooping.
  • you start to consider getting rid of furniture to make room for toys.
  • you go to the store to pick up one toy . . . and spend an obscene amount of money and come home loaded with cool stuff (remind me to post a picture of my haul from today’s shopping trip!)
  • you spend 3 hours trying to go to the bathroom . . . or take your medicine. . . . or eat breakfast . . . and realize you still haven’t succeeded.
  • you get excited about a night of . . . . fun . . . with your husband, and can’t believe the baby throws a wrench in your plans by waking up, screaming, and needing to come into bed with you.
  • after feeding, you spend a lot of time coaxing your child into burping, and then cheer and say “good, boy” (or “good, girl”) after the offensive sound has been successfully elicited.
  • your child releases an impressive demonstration of flatulence, and you turn and say “feeling better, sweetie?”

Okay – that is all I’ve got right now . . . I’m sure there will be more another day. Please, post a few of yours!

Could it be teething?

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My little guy is out of sorts – has been for over one week now. He had those bad weeks when we got back from California, and now this. I could be wrong, but perhaps he is teething? It could just be the reflux, I suppose, but he hasn’t been feeling 100%. He has had a pretty drippy nose, but I don’t think it is a cold (it is just clear). It could be allergies. He has been wanting to gnaw on everything, though, and he has been pretty drooly, too. He seems to be in pain/discomfort, especially at night, and tylenol seems to help. His tummy has been bothering him on and off – so who knows! I’m going to ask the doctor again on Monday when we go in for his 4 month checkup. Poor guy – I hope he starts feeling better soon! I don’t know what I’m going to do if he actually pops a tooth through!

Another story I shouldn’t share

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Since I seem to be on a roll sharing embarrassing stories, I have one more in my arsenal I might as well divulge (and I do not think I’ve shared this one online yet). A few weeks back, I was home alone with Micah and Nugget. I finished nursing Micah, and placed him on his tummy on his playmat. I went to the kitchen, and all of the sudden, I was hit with horrible stomach cramping. I’ve been having issues with this ever since I got pregnant, but something about nursing (probably the oxytocin) gives me all kinds of stomach issues. The bathroom is located right next to the kitchen, so I ran in there, thinking I’d just be a minute or so. I left the door open so I could listen to Micah and talk to him.

Needless to say, the minute I entered the bathroom, Micah started to cry and fuss. I was talking to him from across the hallway, and singing to him in an attempt to calm him. No such luck . . . his fussing escalated to flat out crying. I was doing my best to settle my stomach so I could get back to him ASAP, but I was afraid of leaving the bathroom at that exact moment. Suddenly, Micah became very quiet. Naturally, like every good mother, I panicked that something horrible had happened because I failed to answer his cries with sufficient speed. All told, I was probably only in the bathroom 2-3 minutes. When he got quiet, I raced out of the bathroom (thank goodness all the windows were closed or I would have been humiliated beyond belief) and ran to make sure my baby was okay.

To my shock and amazement . . . . I found Micah on his back (he’d rolled over) with Nugget on the playmat next to him, gently nuzzling his face and body while he cooed at her. My wonderful dog decided she would take care of him! Like every good mother would do . . . I went back to the bathroom since Nugget had it all under control.

Drivin’ & Pumpin’

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Yes, it is true . . . you can pump and drive. I know I should not admit that I have done this, but on Monday I felt as if I had no choice. I had a crazy day on Monday – running around in the morning and dropping Micah off at daycare for the first time, followed by my meeting downtown. I knew Micah’s next bottle was due sometime during my meeting, so I could not pump at that time (don’t you think pumping in a meeting would have been worse?). I also knew that by the time I got home, Micah would want to eat again within a short period of time. I was afraid of waiting too long after he had last eaten to pump because it could inadvertently take away some of his needed food. So, when I left my meeting around 4:20, I knew I was easily 45 minutes from home. I called Elliot – he was picking up Micah, and told me Micah had last eaten at 3:40. I thought it through for a few minutes, and decided that I needed to pump, immediately.

I could have just pumped in the car before driving home – that probably would have made the most sense. However, I was parked out on the street, so it wasn’t exactly a private location (yeah . . . and driving on the roads is MUCH more private). However, my meter was almost up, and the street parking rules on that block did not allow for parking after 4:30 pm, so I was concerned that a police officer would give me a hard time. I discretely put on my pumping bra, hooked up the pump, and put it on its battery-powered setting. I was smart in how I had dressed – I had on a blazer, so my sides were well covered, and I had on a sleeveless shirt underneath that I was able to pull down over the pumping attachments. So, nothing was showing and I was hands-free. After considering my options another moment . . . I put the car into gear, and hit the road. The first 15 minutes of the trip, I was all hooked up and pumping. At one of the lights, I turned off the pump after my time was up. It was pretty uncomfortable to be hooked up, and I was paranoid that people would look at the car window and wonder about the strange shapes causing my shirt to protrude. I also became panicked that the cups would fall off and all that precious milk would spill in the car. So, at each of the lights, I slowly worked at unhooking the pump, combining the bottles, and capping the milk. I was quite impressed with my abilities!

So . . . note to self . . . it is definitely safe to pump and drive.

Cherry Blossom Weekend

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Let’s start off with a belated picture from Micah’s first seder:


After the seders last week, we were expecting some family time on Friday. Elliot’s parents, Steven, Jodi, Stephanie and Brian joined us Friday for breakfast. I made matzah brie, which is basically french toast made with matzah. You soak the matzah to soften it, mix some eggs through, then fry it up. You can serve it “savory” (with salt and/or cheese) or go the sweet route (cinnamon, sugar, syrup, chocolate . . . whatever floats your boat). I made a big giant vat of matzah brie, we put all the different toppings on the table, and we had a lovely breakfast. We were expecting Elliot’s other brother, Daniel, his wife Jody, and their son Ethan to join us on Friday. They called to say they would be here in an hour, so we waited. And waited. And waited. 1 1/2 hours later, they called to say they wouldn’t be joining us. We still don’t understand exactly what happened.

Once we got the green light, we stopped waiting, and took off to tour the area. It is a beautiful time of year here, with all the cherry blossom trees in bloom, so off to Kenwood we went! Kenwood is one of the oldest and prettiest neighborhoods in the air, and every street is lined with cherry blossom trees. We went to wander around and enjoy nature.











After touring Kenwood, we decided to take Roberta (Elliot’s mother) shopping for a new pair of shoes, so off to DSW we went. We all managed to buy a few pairs of shoes. When we came back, we enjoyed a late lunch of egg salad and matzah pizza. We relaxed and enjoyed the rest of the afternoon, and around 6, my friend Tammy (and I was previously chastised for using the word “old” to describe our friendship) from college arrived to join us! (Long story short . . . I didn’t realize my in-laws planned to stay through until Saturday, so I invited Tammy down on Friday and their visits overlapped). Despite this little scheduling blip, we had a lovely dinner together – Tammy joined right in and we enjoyed leftovers from the previous night.

Saturday morning, my in-laws returned for lunch before their drive back home. I made tuna salad, we cooked up a few more matzah pizzas, and a “secret” family recipe that we call matzkes (it is basically a special sweet cheese mixture that you spread on the matzah and bake). My family matzkes were a hit! The family departed for home, but not before Poppy Ira had a chance to hang out with Micah:
After our family left, Tammy and I decided to go back to Kenwood. After a long, exhausting day, we spent a quiet evening at home. Elliot made fish and veggies for dinner (not that I ate the fish – I’m a vegetarian). Sunday, Tammy and I decided to adventure a bit – we took the metro downtown, checked out the cherry blossoms along the tidal basin (unfortunately, we were a few days too late – the cherry blossoms had passed their peak, and we saw tons of green foliage instead of pink flowers). After a short walk (the wind was blowing so hard that we were worried about Micah and cut the walk short . . . that is our story, and I am sticking to it!), we went to the American History Museum. It was the first time I had been since it was renovated.



We had a wonderful day, and Micah enjoyed his first trip downtown and first museum visit. We returned home around 5, and Tammy decided to head back home.

All in all, a wonderful weekend!